Magic comes to Chicago each winter in the form of the animated displays in the State Street retail store windows. Children and adults pass from window to window to view an unfolding story whose theme changes from year to year.

For 2007 the theme of "The Nutcracker" is displayed in nine windows of Macy's State Street store in celebration of the Joffrey Ballet's 20th anniversary production. Fortunately Macy's is keeping alive this Marshall Fields tradition ensuring fond memories for another generation of children.

Be sure to bundle up!

Getting Away from it All

Chicago's lakefront sets it apart from so many other large cities in the world and gives it an openness and sense of spaciousness. Time spent gazing at the quasi ocean expanse of Lake Michigan proves relaxing, and a perch on the concrete wall north of the city provides a great view of the downtown melange of skyscrapers and Oak Street Beach.

Head south from the North Avenue Beach along the lakefront path to find your get-away spot.

West Randolph Street

On Chicago's near west side, just west of the Kennedy Expressway, red brick buildings along Randolph Street that were formerly home only to wholesale food vendors now contain trendy restaurants with sidewalk dining mixed in with the butcher shops and wholesale produce sellers.

On warm summer and fall evenings, red coated valets hustle to find parking spots for diners at Red Light, Dragonfly, Vivo and Marche. Only blocks away from Harpo Studios, home of the "Oprah Winfrey Show", West Randolph Street offers an array of dining options with views of the Sears Tower along with a neighborhood feel.

Where's Waldo?

Chicago's Wacker Drive exhibits a split personality. One section paralleling the Chicago River runs east/west past the Marina Towers, Seventeenth Church of Christ Scientist, Trump's construction project, the Merchandise Mart, along with several hotels and restaurants. The street then curves into a second section which runs north/south past the Sears Tower, the Lyric Opera, the Merc and numerous skyscrapers housing corporations and businesses.

The east/west section pictured above provides a great location for afternoon photography as the open space and lack of skyscrapers to the west permits the sun to shine brilliantly.

Afternoon rush hour on a weekday can be a madhouse on any Chicago street. Place a few taxis, an el train, a city bus, several pedestrians, a double-decker tour bus, numerous cars and a motorcycle on the same street and voila!, "Where's Waldo?".

Chicago Cubs in First Place!!! - well, for a little while

Hey, Hey, Hey! The Cubbies are in first place! Well, they were. For a little while...

Aaah, summer in Chicago. How better to spend it than a night game at Wrigley with the Cubs winning.

Store Windows

A male security guard stands and waits at the door of an exclusive Chicago boutique while a headless mannequin sits patiently in the store window.

Store windows can be fascinating photographic studies. From reflections to window shoppers to displayed items to passers-by completely ignoring them, shop windows frequently intrigue me.

Humor - A Dollar Store for Sale

Photographs that portray something quirky, ironic, misspelled or humorous are some of my favorite shots. So when out and about, I keep on the lookout for images that will illustrate one of these concepts. Well, at least they make me think of one of these concepts.

While passing by a strip mall in the Albany Park neighborhood on Chicago's north side, the "Dollar Store for Sale" sign caught my eye and pushed the "humor" button for me.

Dare I guess the sales price? ;-)